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17
May
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Bake for Hope 2010 |
This may come as no surprise to you, but baked goods are powerful little beings. I wasn’t really aware of this until last year, when I participated in the first annual Bake for Hope by organizing a bake sale at my office.
I mean, sure, cookies and brownies and cupcakes have a powerful hold on me personally. It’s like they know my name and call out to me. A dessert table is like a pageant of goodies, each one competing with the next for best in show. Picking the winner would be extremely difficult, but I’m usually up for the challenge. It starts a carefully selected first bite, but then I can’t stop! Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to try THAT one but not THIS one. And so on. And at some point I inevitably go back to try my favorites again. Because it would be a complete shame to leave those morsels uneaten. Clearly that’s the power of baked goods and not my own personal issues with sweet treats 😉 But I digress.
The real power of baked goods is their ability to bring people together, put smiles on their faces, and get them to open their wallets for a great cause. The BFH recognizes and encourages people all over the country to hold bake sales in the week prior to Mothers Day, with all proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Buying baked goods to save boobs? Most people can get on board with that!
Last year our office fundraiser collected about $2800, and this year we surpassed that with $3015. Here are just a sampling of the goodies people prepared!
Sugar cookies in decorated flower pots, banana chocolate chip cookies, coconut bars, baklava, marshmallow-fondant covered mini cakes, baklava, raspberry streusel bars, cheesecake squares, chocolate dipped biscotti, and seashell amaretto cookies were just a few of the favorites among hundreds of other cookies, brownies and treats that were sold. Yours truly provided Baileys Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tarts and Strawberry Crumb Tarts.
Also helping us reach that total? A raffle which included 100 prizes ranging from gift cards to local restaurants, handmade treasures some of our very talented employees and family members, company merchandise, a round of golf and a night at a hotel in Boston.
Here I am pictured above with just a few of my coworkers who helped make this possible. No way could I have done all that baking and obtained all of those donations on my own! It takes a bit of work and I’ll admit to some frustrations along the way, but it’s definitely worth it in the end, knowing that we are helping so many people who have been or will be affected by breast cancer. The event has been so well received at our site, with people lining up before the start of the sale to get the best selection of goodies. The day is a special one, with the cafeteria decked out in pink flowers and everyone happily making their purchases and in many cases, telling us to keep the change. It’s been just two years, but I can already tell you that this is a tradition people will look forward to for years to come.
Have you heard of Bake for Hope before? Would you like to hold a Bake for Hope bake sale next year? What are your best tips for holding a bake sale?
I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
Amy — May 17, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
Wow, that bake sale looks fabulous!
Ashlee — May 17, 2010 @ 3:04 pm
That all looks amazing, and you did a fantastic job raising that much money! I too love bake sales 🙂 They are so fun to plan, and I love to see what everyone has to contribute. The last one I had, the first 2 things to go were blueberry scones and black and white cookies.
Kelly — May 17, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
Wow. Your totals are incredible! Nice job!
Dawn — May 17, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Great job with with the bake sale! I used to hold them at work for the Jacksonville Humane Society but haven't done so in a while.
Shanon — May 17, 2010 @ 4:12 pm
i think we are the same with baked goods. i always need an "excuse" to make them. i (and mostly my husband) cannot control our baked goods intake if we just have them around the house. so i always make them for other people or parties or whatever and we can just have a few. dangerous! i want to do a bake sale. looks amazing!
Elina — May 17, 2010 @ 5:49 pm
Great cause!Are you going to blog about your creations? They sounds delicious!
Shannon — May 17, 2010 @ 9:24 pm
wow, not only a fun event, but a great success 🙂 it's amazing how home baked goods bring people together!
Chelsey — May 18, 2010 @ 12:33 am
What a great idea, and congrats on all the money raised. Baked goods for boobs sounds hilarious though, doesn't it?! In my gluten eating days I would have gone nuts for the fare you have laid out. What a nice way to support the cause.
Amy Green — May 18, 2010 @ 1:11 am
I would love to do something like this next year! In fact, I have lots of friends that love to bake and I'm sure we could pull this off. (I'd have to check with them first, of course!!)It's inspirational to see you dedicating your time to help others. Thanks for bringing some hope to my day!!
Stephanie — May 18, 2010 @ 5:50 am
That is one impressive bake sale, and the selection is drool-worthy.I think success of the bake sale in part lies in having such a wide array of treats so that people are just can't choose and have to get a bit of each
Barbara — May 18, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
What a great and successful bake sale for Hope! I love your photos. Mouth watering. Congratulations!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) — May 18, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
this is such an amazing thing you've done cara, and although i havent heard of this partic organization, i have heard of things like this before and it's just wonderful!!!thx for telling me how your blog has evolved. i think your dinnertime recipe focus is very cool. I love you've found a niche that works for you!
Brandi — May 18, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
what a great bake sale!
Mary — May 18, 2010 @ 5:36 pm
Cara, this is a great idea. Your photos are amazing. I hope your sale and others like it are successful. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Maria — May 18, 2010 @ 9:30 pm
Congrats! All of the treats look amazing!
Peabody — May 23, 2010 @ 4:36 am
Great treats for a great cause!
twofeettentoes — May 23, 2010 @ 2:31 pm
I have never heard of Bake for Hope. One of my life goals is to hold a bake sale for charity, so I would love to participate next year. The problem is, I never know how to start things like that. Any advice? All of the goodies look AMAZING. Really, truly, amazing.
bodavian — May 24, 2010 @ 4:50 pm
I would have been interested to know about this before it passed! What a great way to support a cause.
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